LAHORE: As the Lahore High Court summoned Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari for Friday (today) on a petition of the provincial government’s candidate for chief minister’ slot, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, accusing him of deviating from the party policy, the opposition’s Hamza Shehbaz pressed Mazari to hold the CM’s election on Saturday (tomorrow) ‘without any impediment’.

Mr Elahi and the PML-Q on Thursday challenged an order of a single bench of the LHC whereby the deputy speaker was directed to conduct the election for the chief minister on the previously fixed date of April 16.

Mr Elahi through his counsel told the court that Mr Mazari was deviating from the party policy by supporting the opposition’s candidate. Mazari, who was elected MPA on a PTI ticket, is accused of supporting the PML-N in the election for the chief minister, as he openly demonstrated his intentions earlier in this regard, said the PML-Q.

“The coalition parties have already filed a no-confidence motion against him (Mazari), thus he is not a fit case to conduct the assembly session,” the PML-Q leader’s counsel stated.

During the hearing of the appeals (of Elahi and PML-Q), a two-member bench told the counsel for the appellants that the Constitution did not restrain the deputy speaker from presiding over a session in the absence of the speaker. The bench comprising Justice Shujaat Ai Khan and Justice Jawad Hassan further asked the appellants’ counsel about their grievance against the order passed by the single bench.

In his arguments, the counsel said: “The single judge superimposed the condition that the deputy speaker shall preside over the chair despite the fact that he had himself approached the court seeking permission to conduct the election of the chief minister.”

The bench asked the counsel about the date of the no-confidence motion filed against the deputy speaker. Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, one of the counsels, told the bench the motion was filed on April 6. Justice Hassan observed that the deputy speaker was supposed to do nothing except monitor the polling and members would just cast their votes.

The counsel argued that in the event of the unavailability of the speaker and deputy speaker to hold elections, the panel of chairmen shall perform the duty of the presiding officer.

“The appellant will be satisfied if the court observes that the procedure for the election of the chief minister is conducted as per the Constitution and Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly,” he said.

The bench sought personal appearance of the deputy speaker along with his counsel on Friday (today) and directed the registrar’s office to ensure service of the notice through a special messenger.

As the counsel expressed concern over the likelihood of a brawl or an untoward incident on the day of election, the bench also summoned the Punjab chief secretary and the inspector general of police.

According to a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf insider, Hamza Shehbaz and his associates had been ‘working on’ Mr Mazari for some time and finally succeeded in luring him to join hands with them against his own party’s candidate (Elahi).

Hamza for free, fair election

Meanwhile, Hamza, the opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly, has written to Deputy Speaker Mazari asking him to ensure a free and fair election of the top provincial office scheduled for Saturday.

In the letter, the PML-N leader has told Mazari that it was his constitutional duty to ensure free and fair election of the chief minister without any impediment whatsoever in light of the LHC’s order.

He also drew the deputy speaker’s attention towards the bias of the assembly secretary towards the PTI-PML-Q candidate for CM, and alleged that the Punjab government wanted to rig the election by arresting some MPAs supporting him (Hamza) on trumped-up charges. Therefore, he (deputy speaker) should issue orders to the Punjab police chief not to arrest any lawmaker before the conclusion of the election process, he pleaded.

He also asked the deputy speaker to ensure access of his party’s MPAs and those supporting him (PTI’s dissident lawmakers) to the assembly on the election day.

PML-N MPA Khalil Tahir Sandhu told a presser on Thursday that his party had the required number to win the CM’s election. He said no matter what offer the Punjab government gave to the PTI dissidents they would not withdraw their support for the PML-N candidate. He also challenged Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, the spokesperson for Mr Elahi, to present proof of a ‘brawl’ between Hamza and PTI dissident MPA Aleem Khan, and he would resign.

Both Hamza and Aleem have called each other ‘brothers’ after rumours popped up on social media that they had a fight over an issue.

Meanwhile, about 200 MPAs belonging to the PML-N, PPP and PTI dissidents have been living at a hotel here for two weeks so they could not be approached by the PTI coalition to woo them back. According to the PML-N, some 25 PTI MPAs of Jahangir Tareen, Aleem Khan and Asad Khokhar groups have so far pledged to vote for Hamza. Sugar baron Tareen is expected to return from London on Saturday, the day the CM election is scheduled.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2022